Time in a Bottle
by a-few-of-these-verses
Summary: Set after the events of Thor: The Dark World (and episode 15- Yes Men- of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). Thor is restless one night with the thought of the short time he has remaining with Jane.


Jane looked beautiful in the moonlight.

To be fair, she was always beautiful. Thor had never seen anyone quite like her before. Her eyes twinkled with excitement when she worked, and her smile could make anybody's day better.

However, there was something about the moonlight that made Jane radiant. Her skin seemed to glow. Thor couldn't take his eyes off of her sleeping form next to him on the bed. Even though she had been busy working that day, she was completely at peace now.

_"Say goodbye."_

Humans had such short lifespans.

_"It's nothing! It's a heartbeat. You'll never be ready!"_

Loki was right. He would never be ready to leave her. That was why he'd returned after all. While Jane would be welcome on Asgard, it wasn't truly her home. She may have never felt at home there, and she had work to do on Midgard.

Thor had never thought about mortality as much as he did now. He'd always known that one day he would die, but that day would be thousands of years away. His friends on Asgard would live with him throughout the years, fighting and feasting and laughing. Before the attack on Asgard, he'd thought Frigga would be there too. Maybe even Loki. Throughout their last journey together, Thor had hoped that maybe, just maybe he would be laughing with Loki over the next few millenia. Humans however, humans were not blessed with such longevity. They were like the mayflies that inhabited Earth. They lived for but a moment before perishing.

Thor pulled Jane closer to him. She sighed softly but did not awaken. He stroked her hair gently and wished that the clock on the wall would cease its ticking. Each second reminded him of the time that they were losing. They never talked about the time they had together. He never wanted to bring it up, and perhaps she never had thought about it. Jane would grow old and weak, and he would remain practically the same. In ten years perhaps she would notice, definitely in fifteen. Would she want him to stay with her? Or would she be angry that he wouldn't be aging with her? Thor froze. They hadn't even discussed children. Asgardians and Midgardians had had children together in the past, but the children were raised on Asgard due to their relatively slow aging process. They had time to discuss this option, but to him, there wasn't much time at all.

The clock's ticking seemed to grow louder. "Stop," Thor whispered. The clock did not obey. What would his father say when he returned to Asgard brokenhearted? Would he give him time to grieve? Thor wished this, but he was unsure that his wish would be granted. He'd seen his father turn to madness over losing Frigga. Would he also go mad? No, this was different. Frigga's death had been unpredicted. She was ripped from life by Kurse and Malekith. Jane's death was inevitable.

_Tick tock. Tick tock_. While grieving for Jane may not drive him mad, the clock just might. "You will be gone tomorrow, mark my words," Thor threatened. He would buy a new clock, one that wasn't as persistent in reminding him of the time speeding by.

Thor felt Jane stirring in his arms. He looked down and saw two brown eyes staring at him. Jane yawned. "Who's gone tomorrow?" she asked.

Thor grinned. "Only the clock."

"Why?" Jane yawned again. Even in this sleepy state, she was still beautiful to him.

"It's too loud for my liking," said Thor. He yawned. Perhaps he would get some sleep tonight.

"Really? You've been here a few months, and you've never mentioned it until now." Jane sat up. "Is something wrong?"

Thor pulled her across his lap and Jane smiled. "Nothing is wrong. Now go back to sleep."

Jane's eyes had that familiar twinkle. "C'mon, what's up?" She looked at the clock and her mouth dropped slightly. Thor laughed quietly at her startled face. "Thor, it's almost 4 in the morning!"

"I know, love, now go to sleep. You have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

Jane, however, did not look as if she would be sleeping anytime soon. "Is it Sif?"

The thought hadn't crossed Thor's mind in weeks. Sif had returned to Earth briefly to fight Lorelai. He and Jane had been briefed by a member of SHIELD after it had happened. They were told that all was well and they had nothing to worry about. While he was glad the matter had been taken care of, part of him wished that Sif had visited. He wanted to hear how the rebuilding of the palace was going, and if his father had any message for him. Yet Sif left Earth just as quickly as she came. "No, it's not Sif. It's nothing to worry about now."

Jane weaved her fingers with his and gave his hand a small squeeze. "Are you sure? Because we haven't really talked about it, and I wasn't-"

Thor interrupted her with a kiss. Her lips were soft and smooth against his. Jane moved her free hand behind his neck and weaved her fingers in his hair. "I wasn't finished talking," she said, breaking the kiss.

"I know," Thor said, "but I wanted to kiss you."

"Oh really?" Jane leaned in and kissed him again. "You'd tell me if something was bothering you, though, right?

"Right."

"Because you know I care about you, and if something is on your mind I want to know about it so we can get through this together."

"Jane-"

"Really, you have to tell me if something's on your mind, because I won't be able to concentrate if you don't tell me."

"Jane-"

"I just want to make sure you're okay, adjusting to life here and all."

"I'm adjusting well," Thor said, brushing a loose lock of Jane's hair away from her face. "Really, I am. You need not worry about me."

Jane nodded and kissed his cheek. "Love you."

Thor smiled "I love you too. Now sleep."

Jane laid her head against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. There would be other times to worry about the future. What mattered most was that Jane was in his arms now. She was alive this night. Tonight, time didn't matter at all.


End file.
